Mike's Profile

Mike has a degree in Film from The University of Texas at Austin. He has worked in the entertainment industry for the past 25 years and sees two to four new movies in the theatre a week.
Mike has a weekly movie blog where he reviews films both present and past at:
lastonetoleavethetheatre.blogspot.com
He can be followed on Twitter @lastonetoleave

Opening this week at a theatre near you:

Abduction

Source: Lionsgate

Taylor Lautner (Twilight) stars as a man who sees his parents killed in front of his eyes, only to discover that they weren’t really his parents; he was kidnapped as a child. As a result, there are people out there hunting for him, so he goes on the run to survive. Abduction website

What to watch for: Will the teens that love Twilight, come out to an action thriller that doesn’t involve vampires? Maria Bello, Alfred Molina and Sigourney Weaver round out a supporting cast to try and bring in the adult crowd.

Word on the Street: Director John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious) feels that Lautner was a perfect fit for this role and is ready to carry a picture in a primary role.

Dolphin Tale

Source: Warner Bros.

Based on a true story, a young boy finds a dolphin that has been hurt in a fishing trap. He convinces people to help create a prosthetic appendage so the dolphin can swim again. Dolphin Tale website

What to watch for: Will families be excited to find a 3-D movie that is uplifting and inspiring but not animated?

Word on the Street: The dolphin, Winter, is the star of the movie and is the actual dolphin the film is based on. Says co-star Harry Connick Jr., “She’s a total diva!”

Moneyball

Source: Sony Pictures

Based on a true story, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, the young General Manager of the Oakland A’s, a small market team that has to reinvent how they draft and sign baseball players. Moneyball website

What to watch for: Baseball movies are a tough sell, especially to women, so Brad Pitt will have to do quite a bit of marketing to bring them in.

Word on the Street: While Pitt is said to give a winning performance, the movie works because of Jonah Hill, the stats guy who Beane uses to make his roster moves.

If you can’t make it to the theatre, then stay at home and watch movies on CW69 this weekend.

Sunday

1:00 pm

Welcome to Mooseport (2004) Monroe “Earl” Cole (played by Gene Hackman in his last comedic role before retiring from acting) is a former President of the United States who moves to his vacation home in Mooseport. When the town mayor dies, the former President decides to run for the office. Harold Harrison (played by Ray Romano) finds out that maybe the President is running for the wrong reasons and starts up his own campaign to oppose him. Can the small town survive the election process?

3:00 pm

La Bamba (1987) Lou Diamond Phillips plays Ritchie Valens who rises up from the migrant farms of California to become a teenage rock star, only to lose his life in a legendary plane crash.